


Peacetime

by madzilla



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-27
Updated: 2010-12-27
Packaged: 2017-10-14 04:06:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madzilla/pseuds/madzilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back in the Alpha Quadrant and drifting after his time on Voyager, Chakotay joins the cause of a group of colonists still fighting Cardassian oppression.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peacetime

"Oh, damn," said Chakotay. "I forgot to pick up the rice!"

"Can you not just replicate some?" said his dinner companion.

"This apartment doesn't have a replicator," said Chakotay. "It's old, hasn't been used in a while – I think Starfleet had quite a task on their hands finding accommodation for us all when we got back. All the apartments in this building hadn't been used for years." He hurried into the hallway, then back into the kitchen, pulling on his coat.

"Don’t worry," he said. "I'll be right back." He pecked her on the cheek before heading quickly out of the door.

Left alone, Seven sat stiffly in one of the rather hard chairs Starfleet had seen fit to furnish this apartment with. She lifted a PADD and was just about to peruse the day's newsvids before the comm. sounded.

She looked at it warily. Many reporters had been attempting to contact them since their return – if she answered Chakotay's comm. line then it would be assumed that she was living with him – adding more salacious gossip to the already outrageous articles that appeared daily wasn't what she wanted to do at all.

The comm. sounded again, and Seven crossed the room to observe the code blinking on the screen, indicating the incoming caller. She noticed immediately that it was a Starfleet number – relived, she touched the panel to activate the call.

The face of Kathryn Janeway appeared on the screen, and Seven watched an expression of surprise flit across her face before she smiled.

"Hello, Seven," she said. There was a brief silence.

"How are you?" she continued after a moment.

"I am well, thank you, Captain," said Seven. "And you?"

"Fine," said Janeway. "Settling in alright?"

"Yes," said Seven. "Starfleet had some problems installing my alcove, but they resolved the issue quickly."

"Oh, I'm glad," said Kathryn. "Is Chakotay there?"

"He has gone out for a while," said Seven. "But he will be back soon."

"Oh," said Kathryn. "Well, I'm afraid I can't talk long. I actually called to say goodbye. I've been posted to Altair Six for a few months, and I'm leaving shortly."

Seven's eyebrow rose. "I assume that you have accepted the promotion offered by Starfleet."

Janeway smiled. "How did you know about that?"

"It has been reported in the newsvids," said Seven.

"Ah," said Janeway. "I haven't been following them, to be honest."

Seven nodded, and another silence fell between the two women.

"Well," said Janeway eventually. "Will you let Chakotay know I called?"

"Of course," said Seven.

"Thank you. All the best," said Janeway. She leaned forward slightly, looking sad despite her smile. "I'll miss you both," she said softly. "Goodbye, Seven."

Before Seven had a chance to reply, to tell her that they would miss her too, the screen went blank.

Seven returned to the armchair feeling uneasy. It had been the first time she had spoken to Kathryn Janeway since the end of their debriefing sessions three weeks earlier, and she had hoped they'd have the opportunity to speak properly – with Janeway's assignment off-world, however, it looked like that would now be impossible, at least for some time.

Thoughts of Admiral Janeway, the older woman who had brought them home, crossed her mind, and she sighed, trying to force the thoughts away. Since their return, she had tried to forget her, tried to forget the suspicions she had about her motives, but was finding it harder as time went on.

He relationship with Chakotay had been troubling her recently, in addition to these thoughts. Aboard Voyager, it had seemed so simple. Chakotay had even convinced her that the pain the Admiral had said she would cause him would now never happen, as that timeline had been erased.

 _Along with our marriage_ , she thought.

The Admiral had let that one slip during one of their discussions, and she bristled at the memory. Upon hearing of their marriage in the other timeline, she had felt surprise, nervousness, but certainly not joy. This added to her unease – surely, if Chakotay was the love of her life, she should have been delighted to find out they would be married? Instead, she just felt – trepidation. Fear. It tainted their time together and she wished, heartily, that the Admiral had never told her.

She considered the older woman. Now, more than ever, she believed that the Admiral had had ulterior motives in returning for them. At first, she was touched beyond measure to think that the Admiral had returned to save her life, so she and Chakotay would be happy. Now, as the strings holding her and Chakotay together began to unravel, she wondered if the Admiral had known their return to Earth would break them apart.

There was also the issue of Josh. Upon their arrival, Starfleet had assigned a doctor to her to oversee her unique needs during their first few weeks on Earth. He would also be working with her to develop a program for helping other liberated drones, as Starfleet felt it was likely the Borg would make a foray into Federation space again. She had been highly resistant to the idea of being 'studied' by this doctor at first, especially as Starfleet wouldn't allow Voyager's EMH to be assigned to her.

The doctor they had assigned to her, Commander Josh Evers, was young, good-looking and enthusiastic to be working with her. Many people on Earth had regarded her with suspicion, fear and outright dislike, so to find someone who treated her not just as an individual but with respect, had been refreshing and much appreciated. She had told Chakotay about Dr. Evers and noticed his smile become rather fixed. It wasn't until much later that she realised he was probably jealous.

She had laughed at the idea, at first, but as the weeks went on and she continued to work with Josh, she found herself becoming increasingly attracted to him. At first, she ignored the feelings, recognising that one could be in a relationship and still find other people physically attractive, but when she started feeling pleasurable jolts in her stomach when she and Josh would laugh together, she realised that it might be more. She observed Josh's reactions to her and was sure that his interest in her was beginning to extend beyond the professional. He often held her gaze longer than necessary, touched her shoulder as they leaned over a console, and once, when he was scanning her optical implant, his gaze flitting back and forth from the implant to her lips, she'd honestly thought he might lean in and kiss her.

It alarmed her how much she wanted him to, and how disappointed she had been when he'd pulled back rather abruptly. She knew Josh knew about her relationship with Chakotay, and wondered if he held himself back because of it. One evening, when Chakotay was telling her about his day over dinner, she realised with a start that she had been picturing Josh's long, slim fingers as she curled her own around the stem of her wine glass.

If Chakotay had noticed something was wrong he hadn't said anything. They had not moved in together – she still required use of her alcove, which was at Starfleet Medical, and anyway it wasn't a step either were sure they wanted to take yet – but they saw each other most evenings. Their relationship, which had moved very quickly on Voyager, seemed to have ground to a halt. They continued to eat their dinners together because neither of them had anywhere else to go.

Confused, Seven had asked to see the EMH. Since his confession of love, she had been slightly uncomfortable talking to him about her own love life, but now she was unable to talk to Neelix, she didn't really have anyone else to discuss it with. It crossed her mind to talk to Captain Janeway, but somehow she didn't think confessing she was falling in love with another man while still dating Chakotay would go down very well. She could almost picture Janeway's eyebrows knitting together, the frown line etched deep in her forehead, as she related this information.

Her talk with the EMH had ended up being quite a comfort. He had directed her, in the end, to 'follow her heart'. She understood this concept now, feeling guilty when the Doctor had observed that, if she really had feelings for this Josh, then she was being rather cruel to Chakotay by continuing to see him as well.

She had returned to Starfleet Medical the next day, to her daily session with Josh, and watching him as he continued to outline the upcoming project with his usual good humour, her resolve strengthened. It would be painful, but she could not – what was it the Doctor had called it? – _string him along_ any more.

She had come to Chakotay's apartment this evening to discuss this with him, to inform him that she thought their relationship had reached its natural end, but so far had not had the opportunity. He had been in a good mood, preparing their dinner and pouring drinks, dashing out when he realised he'd forgotten the rice.

Now Seven could only wait, clenching her hands together tightly. She would not wait any longer. Sitting through dinner, and dessert, and drinks, would be torture with this hanging over her head.

Her decision made, fixated on their imminent conversation, Janeway's earlier call completely fled her mind.

Chakotay arrived home moments later, and Seven sprang to her feet. He poked his head round the door, and held up the bag.

"Got it," he said. "I'll put it on, it should only take-"

"Chakotay," said Seven, interrupting. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," he said. "I'll just put the rice on first, then we can-"

"No," said Seven. "We should talk now."

"Alright," said Chakotay, concerned, coming to sit beside her. "What's wrong?"

Seven took a deep breath. "This is – difficult," she said. "It is about our relationship."

She watched, pained, as his open, concerned expression became wary.

"Oh?" he said.

"Yes," said Seven. "I will be blunt, because – I believe it will be easier that way. I think I wish to end our relationship."

A ringing silence filled the room. Chakotay had become as still as stone.

"You think?" he said tightly.

"I know," she said softly, but finally.

He huffed out a harsh sigh. "And what brought this on? You haven't mentioned anything until now. Was this your idea? Have you talked to someone about us?"

"I have," admitted Seven. "But the decision was mine, and mine alone."

He stood, and took a few steps.

"We have to talk about this properly," he said, turning back to her. "Whatever it is, we can work it out."

"I'm not sure that's the case," she said.

He looked at her, for several long moments, and she almost squirmed under his gaze.

"Is there someone else?" he said eventually.

She couldn't lie to him. "Yes," she said, her heart twisting painfully at the look of betrayal that crossed his face.

"I see," he said. "And how long has it been going on? How long have you been making a fool of me?"

He sounded livid, and she stood, moving to stand in front of him.

"Nothing has – gone on," she said. "I have not been unfaithful."

"But you're in love with someone else."

"I –" she hesitated. "I believe so."

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" he said. "I appreciate your honesty." His eyes glittered black with anger and she looked away.

"I am sorry," she said. "I do care for you. I hope we can remain friends."

Chakotay sighed.

"Yes," he ground out. "Of course we'll still be friends."

They stood in silence for several moments, still unable to look at each other.

"I should go," said Seven.

"Alright," said Chakotay dully.

"I will be in touch soon," said Seven. Suddenly remembering, she turned to him.

"Captain – Admiral – Janeway called while you were out," she said, lifting her long coat from the arm of the sofa.

"Admiral?" said Chakotay, digesting this new bit of information. He was stung that Kathryn hadn't contacted him to share the news of her promotion. "Did she want me to call her back?"

"She didn't say so," said Seven. "She asked me to pass on her best wishes, and inform you that she has been assigned to a mission on Altair Six. She indicated she was leaving imminently."

"I see," said Chakotay, his anger rising again. Kathryn was headed off-world for goodness knows how long, and she obviously didn't care if they got to say goodbye in person or not.

"Well," said Seven. "I'll see you soon?"

"Perhaps," said Chakotay.

Seven nodded. "Goodbye, Chakotay," she said.

"Bye, Seven," he said quietly.

He heard the door close behind him and sank onto the sofa, still clutching the bag of rice.

 

* * *

 

The weeks wore on, and Chakotay found himself feeling lost and listless. Starfleet had called him in and offered him a reinstatement at the rank of full Commander, but he had asked for a period of leave before making his decision. He hadn't seen Seven at all, nor heard from any of his other Voyager crewmates. He often considered contacting Kathryn, but after the way she'd taken off after her promotion he was still too angry. He realised he'd never congratulated her. Was it too late now, too long after the fact? It seemed, to him, yet another reminder of how far apart they had drifted.

Simply, he missed her. He was angry at himself about how often he thought of her, which seemed to be every day. Even at the end of their journey on Voyager, when they'd found themselves spending less social time together – which, on reflection, was mostly his fault, she'd still invited him to lunch or dinner as regularly as before – he'd still seen her every day, still had regular meetings, still shared those little moments which made their long friendship so rich. He realised he'd come to take that friendship for granted – though from his point of view she had, as well – and now it had been ripped away he felt as though a part of himself was missing. That, coupled with the loss of the rest of his Voyager 'family', was proving a difficult adjustment. She hadn't contacted him once since she'd left. Had their friendship really meant so little to her?

His former colleagues all seemed happy enough. Tuvok had returned to his wife and family, met his new grandchildren. Harry had fallen into the arms of his parents, who were probably going to spoil him rotten for about ten years. His girlfriend from before had unfortunately moved on, but Harry seemed to be finding himself with plenty of female companionship. Tom and B'Elanna were settling into family life with their new baby, and building bridges with both their fathers. Seven had a new man in her life, and even the EMH was the toast of Starfleet Medical, although he had not yet been granted sole possession of his mobile emitter, which was being kept by Starfleet due to its futuristic origins. Most of his friends from the Maquis had moved away from Earth, and those who had stayed were going through the difficult process of reconnecting with their loved ones.

And Kathryn … she was Starfleet's homecoming hero, lauded, promoted and immediately assigned off-world, so that just left him, floundering and feeling more isolated than he had ever felt in his life.

It wasn't as though he was unaccustomed to being alone, but after having finally found his place, where he thought he was meant to be, he was trying desperately to find a foothold in the new world he found himself in now.

One morning, he awoke to find a message had arrived on his terminal overnight. He noticed with some surprise that it was from Sveta. He hadn't heard from her since her letter to him aboard Voyager, informing him of the fate of the Maquis.

He opened it and scanned the contents – she congratulated him on getting home to begin with, but the rest of the letter turned out to be no more cheerful than the last one she'd sent. She was still in prison, but was in contact with the handful of Maquis survivors who weren't imprisoned. They had returned to the colonies in the Demilitarised Zone and, at first, had been left alone to rebuild their towns and facilities. The Cardassians had even offered humanitarian aid and supplies, along with the Federation. However, a few years on and the Federation had all but forgotten them again, and the Cardassians were making their lives very difficult. Supplies had dried up, and even more worryingly reports were starting to come though of Cardassian violence towards the small band of survivors.

As Chakotay read the letter, his frown deepened until it was a fully-fledged scowl. How could this possibly still be going on? The Maquis had been wiped out, why couldn't the Cardassians leave these people alone? They were no threat.

He glanced at a few of the names on the list, and his gut twisted as he realised he recognised two of them. Good men, who he had fought beside many years ago. It seemed like another lifetime now.

He stood and crossed the room to stare out of the window. Maybe, if he accepted his offered commission, he could take charge of the situation, force Starfleet into helping the colonies more. Regular shipments of supplies could change these people's lives for the better.

He glanced again at his screen, where the message from Sveta still blinked. He'd need more information before approaching Starfleet, and decided to pay his old friend a visit.

 

* * *

 

On his return from New Zealand, his mind spinning after his conversation with Sveta, he decided to visit B'Elanna. She had been in the Maquis with him, she knew these people, and he hoped that she'd be able to help him plan a course of action.

He was no longer going through Starfleet channels to help the colonists. Sveta had pointed out that it could take months for Starfleet to organise any aid for them, and something needed to be done now. He had decided to head out there for himself and find his former compatriots. Sveta had told him there were only two Cardassian officers based on the planet the former Maquis were living on, but that between them they had managed to cause unbelievable horror in these people's lives. They were, she told him, former war criminals who were still getting away with terrible acts. She had told him stories that she had heard about the colonist's lives under the Cardassians, and he had been horrified. His anger, held in check for so long, resurfaced. On Voyager, he had been so far away that it was out of his control to help in any way, and he had come to terms with that. Now he was back, maybe he could make a difference.

He found himself sitting in the living room of Tom and B'Elanna's small Starfleet house, which, he had to admit, was actually very nice, compared to Starfleet's usual cornucopia of grey.

Tom had taken Miral out to visit his parents, and B'Elanna and Chakotay settled on the sofa with their drinks. He told her about his visit to Sveta, and about his plans to go after the two Cardassian officers himself, with the help of his former Maquis colleagues living in the colony.

He finished speaking and realised that B'Elanna was staring at him, her mouth slightly open.

"Are you serious?" she said after several moments, her voice low.

"Completely," said Chakotay. "I can't believe this has gone on for so long. Now I'm in a position where I can help, I can't just sit here –"

"This isn't your fight any more," cut in B'Elanna. "These people were Maquis, yes, but they're not fighting the same cause any more. That cause is dead. There's no reason for you to get involved with this. Certainly no reason to go tearing off to the DMZ."

"So, I'm just supposed to ignore this?" said Chakotay, his eyes narrowing slightly. He'd been so sure that B'Elanna would support him. He'd wondered if she might even offer to come along herself.

"Well, no," said B'Elanna. "But through Starfleet, you could set up a long-term aid service to the colonies. That would help them a lot more than just going out there, guns blazing."

"Once those Cardassians are gone," said Chakotay, standing and pacing the floor, "they'll be able to rebuild their lives without living in constant fear, without having their food and supplies stolen. Then we can think about aid from the Federation."

"Then get Starfleet to contact the Cardassian government! You know they give their officers free reign on things like this. They might not even be aware that this is going on –"

"Oh, they're aware," said Chakotay. "They must be!"

"Are you going to kill them?" said B'Elanna quietly. Chakotay met her eyes, and they just looked at each other for a few moments.

"If necessary," he said eventually. She rose and walked over to him.

"When I first knew you, this is exactly the sort of thing you were always doing," she said. "Tearing off to where you felt you were needed. I admired that in you, though I always wondered when you left if I'd ever see you again. Hell, you even did it on Voyager when you chased off after Seska." She took a step closer.

"But you haven't been like this for years," she said. "To be honest, it worries me. In those days, we had a cause to fight for, something that meant everything to us, caused us to practically throw our lives away to fight for it. I understand that. What I don't understand is why you seem to be looking for a fight. I thought you'd got past that."

"So did I," said Chakotay quietly. He shook his head as if to clear it.

"I thought you of all people would understand," he said angrily. "This is our fight. We can still help-"

" _Our_ fight?" she said. "Oh, no, don't drag me into this. I don't want to get involved! I have a baby, I'm not going to the DMZ to fight some Cardassians!"

"I'm not asking you to," said Chakotay, suddenly very tired. "Look, I just came because I thought you'd want to know about it. It's important to me."

"Well, I don't," said B'Elanna, picking up their glasses and taking them into the kitchen. She came back moments later.

"I don't know what to say," she said. "I'm not going to beg you not to go. But I think you should figure out why you're really going. Is this a fight you truly believe in? Do you really think this is the best way?"

Before Chakotay could answer the front door opened and Tom breezed in. B'Elanna crossed to his side and kissed him, before plucking Miral from his arms and kissing her chubby cheek.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, bouncing the baby.

Chakotay watched them, feeling like he was peering in through the window.

"I should go," he said.

"Hello to you too," said Tom, raising an eyebrow. "You don’t have to leave on my account – why don't you stay for a drink?"

"Thanks," said Chakotay, "but I have to get home, I've got a shuttle transport booked for late tonight."

"You're leaving _tonight_?" said B'Elanna loudly. Miral let out a cry at her mother's raised voice.

"Yes," said Chakotay over the baby's cries. "The sooner, the better."

"Where are you going?" said Tom.

"Doesn't matter," said Chakotay, lifting his jacket. He crossed to them, and touched Miral's cheek with a finger before pulling the door open.

"Take care of yourselves," he said. "I guess I'll see you around."

Before B'Elanna could say another word, the door had shut behind him.

"What was that about?" said Tom.

B'Elanna sighed. "Apparently he's going to the DMZ," she said. "He's going to join the fight against a couple of Cardassians who are terrorising some colonists there."

"Are they his family?" said Tom.

"No," said B'Elanna. "We knew two of them in the Maquis – not very well – and the rest we don't know at all."

"So what's Chakotay's involvement?" said Tom.

"He just feels like he needs to try and help," said B'Elanna, sinking onto the sofa and running a hand through Miral's hair. "I never thought he had any unresolved issues about the Maquis. He helped me so much when I had problems coming to terms with it. He always seemed to have made peace with it. Now he's running off hell-bent on murdering Cardassians. I don't know. I'm just worried about him. This isn't like him at all – at least, not for a long time."

Tom nodded. "Did he tell you he's not with Seven any more?"

B'Elanna's head whipped up to look at him. "No!" she said. "Where did you hear that?"

"The usual places," said Tom. "Starfleet's full of gossips, especially where Seven's concerned. Apparently she's taken up with one of the doctors who's been monitoring her since we got back."

"Wow," said B'Elanna. "I wonder if Chakotay's leaving Earth because of that?"

"A broken heart?" said Tom sceptically. "Do you really think so?"

"I suppose not," said B'Elanna. "I didn't think he was in love with her or anything."

She mused. Betrayals over the years had taught Chakotay to guard his heart very carefully; once he got close to someone it usually meant a great deal to him. Despite their argument, she knew he valued their friendship. She had watched, with a fair bit of jealousy to begin with, how quickly he had bonded with Captain Janeway once their crews had merged, and she knew he'd come to regard the Captain as his closest friend.

Chakotay was affable and enjoyed socialising with the crew, but you could count his truly close friends, his confidantes, on one hand. If he had opened his heart to Seven only to have it thrown back in his face, then the end of their relationship, short as it had been, might well have hit him hard.

"It's possible," she said eventually.

"Do you think he's told the Admiral about his plans?" said Tom.

She didn't have to ask which Admiral.

"He didn't say," she said. "I'd imagine so."

"Maybe we should call her," said Tom. "She must be worried too."

"That's not a bad idea," said B'Elanna. "Let's put this one to bed, and then we’ll call her."

Janeway wasn't available when they first tried to contact her on Altair Six, but she returned their call an hour or so later, beaming as she saw them appear on her screen.

"How are you both? How's Miral?" she said, clearly delighted to be speaking to them.

"We're fine, and so is she," said B'Elanna. "We'll give you all the details later, but we actually called to talk about Chakotay."

An expression of surprise and confusion flitted across Janeway's face.

"Chakotay?" she said. "Why, is he alright?"

"We're not sure," said Tom. "Has he spoken to you about his plans to head to the DMZ?"

"The DMZ?" said Janeway, her frown deepening. "No, he hasn't, I haven't heard from him since debriefings."

Tom and B'Elanna were both surprised by this, but said nothing.

"He came round today," said B'Elanna. "Said he was taking off to the DMZ, leaving tonight. I think he wanted me to go with him, though he didn't ask directly."

"Did he say why?" said Janeway. B'Elanna took a deep breath.

"He visited an old friend of ours in prison yesterday," she said. "She told him about a group of colonists who are being terrorised by a pair of Cardassian officers still living there. I think he's planning to liberate them."

"By himself?" said Janeway, sounding alarmed. "What's he going to do?"

"We knew a couple of the colonists in the Maquis," said B'Elanna. "I guess he'll try and find them first, get some backup, then he plans to go after the Cardassians."

"And kill them?" said Janeway.

"Probably," said B'Elanna.

Janeway looked distressed. "Relations between the Federation and Cardassia are on shaky ground at the moment. There's peace, but anything could tip the scales one way or the other. If he was to get caught …"

She didn't need to finish. He would, at best, be sent to a Federation prison – at worst, be extradited to Cardassia.

"I should get in touch with him," said Janeway.

"He'll have left by now," said B'Elanna sadly. "I'm sorry, we should have called you earlier."

Janeway shook her head. "Don't apologise," she said. "He obviously didn't want me contacting him – that's probably why he left it so late to come and see you. He must have known you'd call me."

"I'm sure that's not true," said Tom. "I'm sure he'd want to talk to you."

Janeway nodded, but he could tell by her expression that she didn't believe him.

"I have to go," she said. "It’s mid-afternoon here and I'm needed in a meeting shortly. But, please," she leaned forward. "Keep me posted. I want to hear everything, no matter now small, about this. I'm going to try and do some digging of my own, but I'm sure with your old Maquis connections, you might be able to find out more than I will. Please let me know if you hear anything."

She looked so sad and worried that they longed to reassure her.

"We will," said B'Elanna. "I'll see what I can find out, and I'll let you know."

"Thank you," said Janeway sincerely. "I'll speak to you both soon."

She signed off, and Tom and B'Elanna looked at each other miserably.

"I thought he'd have told her," said Tom.

"I know," said B'Elanna. "Did they have a fight or something?"

"I've no idea," said Tom. "Maybe she didn't like him dating Seven." His eyes widened slightly. "We forgot to tell her they'd split up."

"Ah, well," said B'Elanna. "Chakotay's love life is the least of his problems right now, or will be shortly if he goes ahead with this crazy mission. We'll tell her soon."

 

* * *

 

Chakotay had arrived on the tiny, rocky planet a week earlier, and had found his old friends almost straight away. The colony was very small, and everyone knew each other. He found it almost refreshing that none of them knew who he was – there was no access to Federation newsvids out here.

His former Maquis comrades, Morin and Federico, were pleased to see him and agreed with his plan to go after the Cardassian aggressors. They'd been planning a strike themselves, but were still in the preliminary planning stages, their plans having been disrupted several times in the last few weeks by random raids by the Cardassians. They'd eventually established a base at a new location, outside the village, that the Cardassians didn't yet know about.

With Chakotay's help, they'd been able to set up a surveillance system around the compound where the two Cardassians, Lejor and Selran, were living, sending real-time images back to their base. They discovered that Lejor made regular trips away from the compound, whereas they hadn't seen Selran at all since they'd begun their surveillance. After a few days, they had seen no one else enter or leave the building, and so decided that when Lejor returned, they would make their move.

Chakotay was watching the feed late one night, staring at the still image of the building's main entrance. He'd been staring at it for hours, waiting for the moment to move, going almost out of his mind with boredom.

It was at times like these, when he had nothing to distract him, that his treacherous mind would start treading down dangerous paths. He tried to keep himself focussed on the mission ahead, on his goal, but his thoughts kept straying back to his last conversation with B'Elanna, to Seven, to Voyager, and most of all to Kathryn.

He felt guilty for not telling her he was heading to the DMZ. He was sure Tom and B'Elanna would have let her know by now, but he knew there was an element of risk to this mission and he should have contacted her himself. Though if he had, he'd have had to see that damned expression of disappointment appear on her face. If she had just been angry with him – and he had no doubt she would be angry with him – he could have dealt with that, but her disappointment was much harder to bear.

Sighing, he thought back to the night before he'd left Earth, only a week ago. In the back of his mind was always the thought that he might never go back again, and his finger had hovered over the comm. button ready to call Kathryn. He'd then decided to send her a recorded message, and in the end had done neither. He was beginning to doubt if she would be bothered, anyway. She would probably be disgusted with him.

His mind occupied with these unpleasant thoughts, he almost missed the movement that appeared on his video screen. His attention snapped to the small monitor as he stared. Sure enough, Lejor made his way into the building, strutting arrogantly.

Chakotay almost laughed. How like the Cardassians not to even bother posting guards, thinking that the small group of downtrodden colonists posed no threat. He'd been shocked he'd even been able to land and make his way to the village without them spotting him, but either they hadn't noticed or they hadn't considered him enough of a threat to bother going after.

Your mistake, thought Chakotay, as he grabbed his weapon and went to find the others.

A short time later, they found themselves outside the mostly-deserted compound. Some weeks before Chakotay's arrival, Morin had been able to get as far as the compound doors and gather information about the entry sequences. He'd managed to decode the rudimentary encryption sequences placed on the doors, and tapped at the panel like a pro as they stood next to the side entrance.  
Soon they were inside, Chakotay hardly believing their luck so far. It was almost too easy.

Inside, the building was freezing cold, their breaths visible in front of them. A stale smell pervaded the air and an eerie silence hung over them all, their breathing almost deafening in their own ears.

Chakotay glanced at his tricorder, which showed one lifesign up ahead. Motioning the other two to follow him, he made his way almost silently down the corridor.

He noticed a light on the tricorder flash, and flicked his eyes down. He saw the unmistakeable signature of a craft's engines firing up.

"They're powering a shuttle or small ship," he whispered urgently. "We have to get to them now."

They hurried along another dark hallway, following the lifesign, until they tracked it to a door at the end of a long corridor.

As quietly as he could, Chakotay cracked the door open and peered around it, one hand on his phaser.

Lejor was seated with his back to them in a comfortable looking chair, eating a large meal. Various delicacies surrounded him and Chakotay felt a surge of anger – the colonists had very little food; he himself had been living on potatoes and stale bread for the last week, the small amount of food he'd brought with him disappearing almost instantly once he'd shared it out.

He pushed the door open fully and stepped into the room. Lejor immediately heard the sound and leapt to his feet, whirling round, to see Chakotay, Morin and Federico with their phasers trained on him.

He watched them for several moments.

"Good evening, gentlemen," he said eventually. "What can I do for you?"

Chakotay cocked his head towards him, and Morin and Federico stepped forward to restrain Lejor, binding his wrists.

"Well, I see you have me where you want me," said Lejor. "I take it you want to talk?"

"The time for talking is long past," said Federico. "We're done. You've been killing and stealing from our people for long enough."

Lejor smiled. "And you think killing me will somehow make your little rock here a thriving and fertile world?"

"It'll give them a chance," said Chakotay. "Something you certainly never did." He took a step forward, his phaser pointed at Lejor's head. This was it, after this they just had to find Selran and then the colony would be free.

"Chakotay!" said Morin urgently. "There's a craft taking off behind the compound."

Selran. He was leaving, letting his compatriot take all of the blame while he escaped. He looked at Lejor, expecting his expression to become shocked, furious, betrayed. Instead, he saw a bland expression settle over his face; he was even still smiling slightly.

Chakotay suddenly understood. Lejor knew he was going to die tonight. The Cardassian government must have ordered him to stay behind, thinking that if he was murdered the colonists, thinking they had won, would be unsuspecting and unprepared for a later Cardassian return to the planet. If Lejor had fought them or killed them, it could have galvanised more of the colonists into action, requiring a greater Cardassian presence.

The Cardassian willingness to die for the State had never failed to amaze Chakotay, and he considered it again as he regarded the man in front of him.

"Come on," said Federico. "Quickly. Finish him off and let's get out of here. If we take your shuttle, we can still catch up with Selran."

Chakotay stepped forward and looked Lejor squarely in the face. Hatred for this man coursed through him – he didn't feel sorry for him, being left behind by his own people to die – it had probably been his own decision, he was probably _honoured_ to be dying for the glory of Cardassia.

Lejor, powerless to defend himself, grinned at him, his mouth twisting into a patronising leer, and Chakotay punched him in the jaw. His head snapped back, but he lowered his head again quickly to look back at Chakotay, his expression almost pitying.

Pain screamed through Chakotay's hand as he curled his fingers around the handle of his phaser again. He idly wondered if he'd broken any bones punching the Cardassian's thick, hard, bony jaw.

It was time. It was time to give this bastard exactly what he wanted, and sacrifice him for the greater good of his beloved Empire … it was time…

The seconds dragged on, and still Chakotay stood, his hand gripping his phaser tightly. The torn skin on his knuckles stung, his fingers stiff and cold.

"Enough of this." The voice was Morin's, and as Chakotay turned to look at him he crossed the room in two strides, lifted his phaser and shot Lejor in the head. He fell to the ground instantly, and Morin stepped over him to access the terminal on his desk.

"We won't be able to catch up with Selran, he left too long ago," he said, tapping at the screen. Chakotay stood, his hand having fallen to his side, staring at the dead body of Lejor on the floor.

"Here," said Morin. "There's information here about where Selran was headed. He's supposed to be meeting with his superiors two days from now on Tanox IV."

Federico, who had come up beside him, frowned. "It doesn't take two days to get there," he said. "Where do you think he'll go in the mean time?"

"I don't know," said Morin. "But the direct route to Tanox IV takes him quite close to Bajoran space. I doubt he'd be very welcome there after his actions during the occupation. Maybe he's taking a longer route to avoid that area."

"Mmm, and apart from that Deep Space Nine is run by Starfleet," said Federico. "I'm sure he'd want to avoid a run-in with them if at all possible."

Morin nodded. "What do you think, Chakotay?"

There was no reply, and the two of them turned to find that Chakotay had disappeared.

 

* * *

 

Admiral Kathryn Janeway stared thoughtfully out of the window of her temporary office on Altair VI. It was another glorious day, the sky a lovely pale peach as usual. But Kathryn couldn't appreciate the beauty, not while she was so preoccupied with worry.

She'd made sure to call B'Elanna every day since she and Tom had told her about Chakotay leaving for the new Demilitarised Zone. B'Elanna had been in touch with a few of their old friends, but, as Kathryn already knew, most of the old crowd who'd survived were either far, far away from Earth or in prison.

Kathryn had done some unofficial digging of her own, but hadn't been able to find any information except that Chakotay's shuttle had left Earth late the night he had visited B'Elanna, and had moved out of Earth's communications range the next day.

 _You have an incoming priority call from Starfleet Command_ , her comm. terminal bleated, and she headed to her desk. The serious countenance of Admiral Smith appeared on her screen.

"Good morning, David," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"Kathryn," he said. "We've just received a call from the Cardassian government, about one of their officials based out in the DMZ. Apparently he was murdered last night. His colleague managed to escape, and reported the attack to his superiors." The Admiral glanced away, before looking back at her and continuing.

"The reason I'm telling you this is that the Cardassian who escaped reported that it was a former Starfleet officer who murdered his colleague," he said. "He refused to give the Cardassian government his own name, and the message was encrypted. What's even stranger is that the Cardassians deny having any officers stationed on the colonies."

"Oh?" said Kathryn, her chest tightening. She knew what the Admiral was going to say, but somehow desperately didn't want to hear it.

"He's implicated Commander Chakotay," said Admiral Smith. "Have you heard from him at all in the last week?"

"No," she said. "I've not heard from him for a while."

"Did you know about his plan to assassinate these men?" said Smith, looking at her intently.

"He didn't tell me anything about it," she said truthfully. If the Admiralty found out she'd known about Chakotay's plans but hadn't reported it, it could mean even more trouble for both of them.

Smith nodded. "We know the planet he was heading for, and we're dispatching a runabout there. We haven't been able to find any details on the shuttle he left on, but it certainly wasn't a Starfleet one."

Kathryn nodded, and the Admiral continued.

"If you hear anything, if he contacts you, you must let us know immediately," said Smith. "The Cardassian government aren't at all happy about this, and are demanding that he be caught and tried."

"Do they want him to be tried on Cardassia?" said Kathryn, hoping her voice sounded calmer than she felt.

"I don't know," said Smith. "They haven't mentioned so."

"They've no right to ask for it," said Kathryn furiously. "He's a Federation citizen, if he's caught he should be tried by a Federation court."

"When he's caught, you mean," said Smith definitively. "We're hoping that the Cardassians will accept that, too, otherwise I don't like his chances."

Kathryn nodded, her throat momentarily too tight to speak.

"I have to go, Kathryn, but I just wanted to bring you in on this," he said. "I know you worked with him for a long time, I thought you should be involved. We may need to speak more with you about Chakotay's tactics, places you think he might go, anyone he might have been in touch with, but we'll be in touch later."

"Yes," said Kathryn. "Thank you."

"Smith out," said the Admiral, and the Starfleet seal reappeared on her screen.

That was it, then. Chakotay had killed the first Cardassian, and tried to kill the second. She wondered how he had escaped. Had there been a fight? Had Chakotay been hurt in the process? Had he disappeared from the radar because he had been killed in the attempt?

She rose, again, and crossed to stand in front of the window, wrapping her arms around herself. She felt worse than useless being here, so far away – she wasn't even needed here, not really. She had accepted the assignment as it sounded reasonably routine, something to ease her into her new life as an Admiral. And, although she was loath to admit it to herself, she had wanted to get away from Earth for a while. Her former senior staff had been very keen that everyone meet up regularly, and had arranged a series of dinners, meetings and other social events that sounded like an excellent idea but secretly she dreaded. She'd been relieved, at first, to be off the ship and not have to watch Seven and Chakotay's blossoming relationship unfold right in front of her – now it looked as though she had no choice in the matter. When Starfleet approached her about a short posting to the Altair system, she had jumped at the chance, thinking it would give her time for the dust to settle, for her to collect her thoughts and get used to the idea before returning home to be confronted with it. Her mother hadn't been too pleased, but she had gone nonetheless.

She considered Seven again, and wondered how she was handling this. B'Elanna hadn't mentioned her in their daily communications, neither had Seven herself been in touch. _She must be missing him_ , Kathryn mused, and wondered if Starfleet had contacted Seven as they had contacted her.

Curious, she headed across and put in a call to Chakotay's Starfleet apartment, where Seven would probably still be staying. There was no reply.

She disconnected and called Tom and B'Elanna's house. B'Elanna answered, and Kathryn informed her about her call from Starfleet.

"I was wondering if you've heard from Seven at all?" she said to B'Elanna.

"Seven?" said B'Elanna. "Oh, god! We still haven't told you! They split up before Chakotay left."

Kathryn stared at her.

"I'm sorry," said B'Elanna. "We thought you might have heard. I kept meaning to mention it but what with everything that's been going on …"

"I thought they were living together?" said Kathryn, cutting her off.

"What? No!" said B'Elanna. Seven's been staying at Starfleet Medical, where her alcove's installed. Chakotay was in 'Fleet accommodation."

Kathryn nodded. Seven must have been visiting when she'd called Chakotay's apartment – she'd just assumed she'd been living there.

"I don't even know if Seven knows he's left, to be honest," continued B'Elanna. Kathryn shook herself.

"I take it you haven't found out anything new?" she said.

"No," said B'Elanna.

"Alright," said Kathryn, huffing out a sigh. "Well, I expect I'll hear from Starfleet soon, they've already dispatched a runabout to the planet. Chakotay might not be there, but there might be someone there who knows where he is."

B'Elanna nodded. "Will you let me know?"

Kathryn nodded, and smiled slightly. "Of course. Janeway out."

Her mind reeling, Kathryn leaned back in her chair. Seven and Chakotay had split! Was that why he had left so suddenly? Or had he finished it? She felt slightly stung that neither of them, supposedly her closest friends, had told her, but then, she had left rather abruptly herself.

She sat for several minutes before she could bring herself to go back to work, rubbing her forehead with one hand.

 _Oh, Chakotay_ , she thought. _Where are you?_

 

* * *

 

Chakotay sat in the pilot's seat of his small shuttle, staring sightlessly out of the window ahead. He was in pursuit of Selran's shuttle, which he had managed to track en route to Tanox IV. Morin had been right, it wasn't a two-day journey from the colony to Tanox, and Selran had stopped at a spaceport on the way, giving Chakotay enough time to catch up. A busy spaceport wasn't the place to apprehend him, though, so he had waited until Selran left and then followed him. Selran must know he was following, and yet hadn't deviated from his course or tried to evade him in any way. Chakotay could only assume that he had something planned, and so planned to beam to his ship before he had the chance.

He knew that moment would come soon. For now, he continued to stare at the streaking stars, flexing his fingers. His hand was still aching and sore, the broken skin on his knuckles scabbed over. There was a dermal regenerator aboard the shuttle, but he wanted to keep the marks, keep the pain, as a reminder of his actions back on the planet.

He wasn't sure if he was more ashamed of himself for failing to kill Lejor or for leaving his friends behind. He had decided, in the moment when Morin's phaser blast ended Lejor's life, that he had to go after Selran himself. He could not live with himself knowing that he had only come along on the mission to have others do his dirty work. He had come here to end this, and end it he would.

He looked at his reflection in the transparent aluminium. He was exhausted; he hadn't slept in days and had eaten very little. Although the shuttle had fully functioning replicators he hadn't been hungry. The pain in his hand was a constant bother, making piloting, navigation and handling weapons difficult. And his mind was in turmoil, repeating over and over the moment when he'd had his phaser held to Lejor's head but had been unable to pull the trigger.

Why? Why hadn't he done it? The man he had been before Voyager wouldn't have hesitated.

Rubbing his sore hand with the other, he thought about his time on Voyager, and the ignominious way he'd ended up. He hadn't expected glory and a happily-ever after on his return to the Alpha Quadrant – he'd half-expected to still face charges for his time in the Maquis – but he never would have imagined that he'd end up alone, running from Starfleet, chasing down a Cardassian who he was intent on killing.

Would it happen again, he wondered? Would he get face to face with Selran and be unable to pull the trigger?

He felt sick even thinking about it. How many times had he told others he was a man of peace? He certainly wasn't acting like it now. Peace. What did it even mean to him any more?

He had felt at peace on Voyager. He had felt, for the first time in his life, that he had truly found his place. There, he had something to contribute, and while there was the somewhat separating factor of the command structure, he had the closest friends he had ever had around him. Kathryn had become his best friend, the sort of friend he'd never expected to find, especially in the way they had found each other. He could never have imagined in his wildest daydreams how close they would become over the years.

As he thought of her, he realised he still missed her fiercely. The mission didn't seem to be distracting him at all. He stood and stretched, pacing the tiny cabin and rubbing his neck. Perhaps he should have talked to her about this, but what would she have said? She'd have thought he was a fool for running off like this.

Maybe she'd be right, he considered, dropping into the chair again. He thought again of the time he'd taken off after Seska alone. Kathryn had been terribly disappointed in him, and that had almost broken his heart. The next time he considered doing the same was when Seska had claimed his child was in danger. He hadn't wanted to endanger Voyager's crew for his own personal problems, but Kathryn had been resolute; they would face it together.

For a few moments, his nerve failed him completely and he suddenly, desperately, wished Kathryn were here. Or that he was with her, wherever she was. He felt pained that he didn't know, couldn’t remember. She was the most important person in his life and he didn't even know where in the quadrant she was right now. He remembered Seven mentioning a mission Kathryn was heading out on, but where was it?

He looked out ahead of him, at Selran's ship lazily making its way through space, and his resolve strengthened. He pushed the image of Kathryn's face out of his head and stared at the boxy vessel in front. Once this was done, it would be over, and maybe in that he would find some kind of peace, knowing he'd helped the colonists. Already Selran and Lejor were gone from their world, and perhaps they were all sleeping a little easier tonight.

Resolute, he began entering the sequence that would allow him to transport aboard Selran's vessel.

 

* * *

 

Her terminal was already beeping when Kathryn arrived in her office the next morning, and she activated the screen to see it was Admiral Smith.

"We've tracked down the two men Chakotay was working with," he said without preamble.

"And?" said Kathryn urgently.

"They weren't happy to talk, but I think they'd rather we find Chakotay than the Cardassians. They confirmed that the plan was to kill both Cardassian officers stationed on the colony, but that one had escaped. The other was killed, but not by Chakotay. One of the men confessed to the murder. Seemed quite proud of himself."

"Chakotay didn't kill him?" said Kathryn, her voice a near whisper.

"No," said Smith. "He disappeared after the man, Morin, shot the Cardassian."

"Disappeared?" repeated Kathryn. By the way she kept repeating things, she thought to herself, her fellow Admiral was going to think she had short-term memory problems - but this conversation was almost unbelievable.

"Yes, he took the shuttle he'd arrived in and left. They were pretty sure he was going after the other Cardassian. We've sent several shuttles out to search the area between there and the Cardassian's destination, which apparently is Tanox IV. That route should take him pretty close to DS9 so we have a decent amount of resources there to man the search. I'm confident we'll find them."

Kathryn nodded, but did not speak.

"I just wanted to update you," said Smith. "I'll be in touch when we know more, which should be by the end of the day. Smith out."

Kathryn's couldn't force herself into concentrating all day, and eventually cancelled her afternoon meeting and returned to her quarters, where she spent the afternoon drinking coffee, pacing and monitoring the situation over Starfleet's subspace channels. So far, the runabouts had left DS9 but hadn't found any sign of either vessel.

Recent events had forced Kathryn to admit just how much she missed Chakotay. Even before Voyager's return it had been a long time since they had spoken properly about anything other than ship's business, and they were long overdue for a good talk. She hoped with all her heart that they would get the opportunity to have it. In light of everything that had happened, her reaction to his relationship with Seven had been almost melodramatic. She wasn't above admitting that she had been jealous, but she wished heartily that they hadn't avoided each other since getting home. Perhaps all this could have been avoided.

She changed into her nightclothes but could not sleep, waiting for the call that would tell her he'd been found. She fetched herself another cup of coffee and curled into a corner of the hard sofa, staring out at the stars and wishing that, wherever he was, he knew she was thinking of him.

 

* * *

 

Chakotay had made the last of his preparations and was ready for transport. He wondered why Selran hadn't raised his shields, but wasn't about to question something that gave him an opening. Selran would probably be waiting for him, so he held his phaser, ready to shoot as soon as he materialised on the platform. He was a decent shot; he should be able to take out Selran before the Cardassian had a chance.

He stepped into the main area behind the shuttle's cockpit seats.

"Computer," he said. "Energise."

He watched the shuttle disappear around him and a new interior reappear – the cockpit of Selran's shuttle. Selran himself was seated at the helm, his back to Chakotay. As soon as he was fully solid he took a step forward, just as Selran rose and turned to face him, phaser in hand and a smug smile on his face.

"Hello, Commander," he said. "I've so been looking forward to meeting you."

 

* * *

 

Just before four in the morning, Kathryn jerked awake as her monitor beeped. She had fallen asleep on the sofa, and was stiff and cold as she crossed the room to activate the monitor. It was Admiral Smith once again, and he looked irritated, as though someone as important as him shouldn’t have to deal with rogue Starfleet officers pursuing Cardassians.

"Sorry to wake you so late, Kathryn, but you did say if we found anything-"

"It's fine," said Kathryn, cutting him off. "Have you found them?"

"We've located their vessels, yes," said Smith. "The runabouts are about forty-five minutes away from intercept. There was no lifesign aboard Chakotay's shuttle."

Kathryn's hand flew to her mouth, but Smith continued.

"There were two on the Cardassian's shuttle, so we can only assume that he's already beamed aboard but that he hasn't killed him yet. I hope the runabouts reach them before he gets a chance, or he's facing a long time down in New Zealand. At best."

Kathryn nodded tightly, so relieved that Chakotay was alive she could hardly think straight.

"I've got to go, Kathryn, I'm getting updates literally every minute. I'll contact you again once we've got him. Smith out."

 _Once we've got him?_ Kathryn thought with disgust. _He makes it sound like Chakotay's a stray dog._

So Chakotay was on the Cardassian's ship, alone with him. She didn't doubt Chakotay's ability to defend himself, but Cardassians were big, strong and ruthless and she couldn't help but worry. Having been their guest herself, she knew full well what they were capable of.

Rubbing her neck, she stared at the blank comm. screen, willing it to light up again with a message telling her they'd found him, and that he was all right.

 

* * *

 

Chakotay stared at the man before him.

"You know me?" he said.

"Of course," said Selran. "Ever since you landed on the colony we've been keeping an eye on you. I spent hours in the compound watching you and your little friends. May I ask – what became of Lejor?"

"He's dead," spat Chakotay, his phaser still trained on Selran.

"Regrettable," the other man said. "But it was required. Come to finish the job?"

"Yes," said Chakotay simply.

"But you're _Federation_ ," said Selran. "Aren't you suppose to be telling me about the 'better way'? That killing isn't the answer, that we should discuss this, come to some sort of agreement about the colony?"

"That isn't going to work this time, Selran," said Chakotay, not entirely sure he believed his own words. "This ends here."

Selran shrugged. "I hope you know what my death will mean for your beloved colony," he said. "As a greater threat, more Cardassian officers will be stationed there. The liberties that the people there have enjoyed will of course be curtailed. Obviously, as the colonists were able to kill both officers stationed there, greater force will be required."

The implication in his words was obvious and Chakotay felt a surge of fury. He rushed Selran and pinned him against the forward console, their phasers pointed into each other's faces.

Chakotay hesitated – for only a second, but it was long enough for Selran to slam his knee into Chakotay's thigh. Staggering back, Chakotay only had a second to be thankful they'd been standing too close together for Selran to bring his knee any higher, before the larger man was on him again. Struggling, they fell to the ground, and Chakotay heard his phaser skitter away across the floor as Selran slammed his hand against the edge of the step.

Chakotay cursed inwardly. He grappled with Selran, gripping his wrist in an attempt to disarm him. Awkwardly twisting so he ended up on his knees, he knocked Selran's hand against the solid back of the chair and the phaser clattered to the ground. His hands full, Chakotay stretched out a leg to kick it away and underneath a console, but the movement caused him to topple sideways. Selran took the opportunity to jump to his feet and kick him, hard and repeatedly, in the closest place he could reach, which happened to be his lower back.

Chakotay scrambled to his feet and looked around for his phaser, but the Cardassian was already on him again, and a solid, scaly fist collided with his cheek like a brick.

Dizzy, his head ringing, he clutched at the wall as the Cardassian came at him again.

Unarmed, he knew he had very little chance of beating Selran, who was bigger than he was, with much thicker skin. He ducked under the Cardassian's arm but his back and side were agony; he was sure he had at least one broken rib, and his face felt about twice it's usual size. The blow to his head had affected his balance and Selran managed to get another punch in, before Chakotay swung round and caught him in the solar plexus with his elbow. Selran, winded, doubled over in pain, and Chakotay took the opportunity to hunt frantically for the phaser under the forward console.

His back turned for only a moment, Chakotay had no way of seeing Selran approach from behind him, a thick metal bar held in his hands. He spotted Selran's reflection in the console, but before he could turn, a blinding pain exploded through his head and he knew no more.

 

* * *

 

 _I'm alive_ , was the first thought that crossed Chakotay's mind as it struggled towards consciousness. Ow was the second, as his body reminded him of the beating it had recently taken.

He cracked open his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling above him. He could hear voices, and activity, so he obviously wasn't on the shuttle any more. Where was he?

As he tried to sit up to look at his surroundings, his freshly-healed ribs protested and he groaned. A figure appeared in his line of vision.

"Easy, Commander," said the man, pushing him gently back onto the bed. "My name's Dr Bashir. You're on Deep Space Nine, in the infirmary. How much do you remember?"

Chakotay racked his brain, which still felt woolly. "I was on the shuttle. I was fighting – with Selran." His eyes widened. "Where is he? Did he escape?"

"He was taken into custody by Starfleet officials, his injuries were only superficial," said Bashir. "I would imagine he'll be turned over to the Cardassian authorities."

"But they don't believe he's done anything wrong!" said Chakotay vehemently, trying to ignore the pain that throbbed away in his head. "He'll be back at the colony in no time."

Julian wasn't quite sure to what he was referring, and lifted a sedative from the table.

"This will help you rest," he said. "You're going to need another round of surgery, I'm afraid. The Cardassian did an excellent job of damaging one of your kidneys – we're regenerating a new one for you and will be able to pop it in in a couple of hours."

Chakotay pushed Bashir's sedative-bearing hand away.

"No," he said. "I need to talk to someone at Starfleet Command, or the Federation Council. Selran can't be allowed to-"

"Commander, I insist. You're not well, you need to-"

"Listen to me!" said Chakotay. "I have to-"

They both swung round as another person, dressed in a Starfleet uniform, entered the infirmary.

"Doctor, could you just give us a few moments?" the newcomer said.

"Alright," said Bashir irritably. "But make sure it is just a few minutes. He still needs another round of surgery shortly."

"Fine," she said. "I'll keep it short."

Bashir disappeared to his office and the woman walked up to Chakotay's bed.

"My name's Kira Nerys, I'm in command of this station," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," lied Chakotay. "Commander – I have to speak to someone at Starfleet, or the Federation Council – this man, Selran, if he's turned over to the Cardassians –"

"He's already been turned over to them," said Kira. Chakotay looked at her in horror for a moment before letting his head drop back to the pillow. He brought his uninjured hand up to cover his eyes.

"So he's just being allowed to return to the colonies," he said, his voice flat. "So he can just continue hurting those people."

"No," said Kira urgently. "That's not it at all. He and his associate weren't there under Cardassian orders. In fact, the Cardassian government thought they were both dead. They'd actually disobeyed direct orders during the war and then disappeared. The Cardassians say they were glad to see the back of them."

"So what were they doing on the colony?" said Chakotay.

"Hiding, and no doubt making the colonists' lives pretty miserable," said Kira. "The Cardassians have had much bigger things to worry about since the war, they don't go around attacking colonies. These men were acting on their own initiative. Selran has been returned to Cardassia, but he certainly won't be getting a hero's welcome."

Chakotay felt weak with relief. It was over, and Selran would get his just punishment. Ashamed, he considered that if he'd just reported the situation to Starfleet in the first place, Lejor would also have faced Cardassian justice. His murder had been unnecessary.

He became silent, staring at the ceiling, and Kira watched him.

"Are you alright?" she said. "Do you want me to get Dr Bashir?"

"No, I'm okay," said Chakotay. "I'm just realising how all this could have been avoided."

Kira nodded. "Believe me, I know how tempting it can be to go after them yourself. I've done it quite a few times myself – and, I'll admit, maybe I still would if it was something I felt strongly enough about." Kira had taken the liberty of reading through Chakotay's personnel file before she had come to the infirmary, and she was well aware of his history with the Maquis, of what the Cardassians had done to his home and his family. She wasn't at all surprised that he had gone after Selran and Lejor, and considered he was lucky to be alive.

"What happened?" said Chakotay. "I remember Selran knocking me out. Why didn't he kill me?"

"No doubt he intended to," said Kira. "When our officers beamed aboard the shuttle you were both on, you were unconscious, and Selran was in the aft compartment getting a phaser out of weapons storage. If it had been a few more minutes…"

Chakotay swallowed. She didn't have to finish that sentence.

"He was arrested and dragged off, yelling something about how you were a coward, how you didn't have the guts to finish him off."

"He's right," said Chakotay dully.

"That's not true," said Kira, frowning. "It would be a lot worse for you if you had. I'm sure Selran wishes you had done it, though – a quick, painless death would be much better for him than what he faces back home."

"He wanted me to come aboard his shuttle," said Chakotay. "So he could kill me and escape. He knew I'd come after him – he said he was looking forward to meeting me." His eyes widened slightly. "That must have been why Lejor didn't fight when he knew he was going to die – he knew it was preferable to being reported and returned to Cardassia."

Kira nodded, and Chakotay huffed out a sigh. What a spectacular mess he'd made of the whole situation. It was only good luck that had brought him here, he deserved to be dead now.

Bashir came back in, sedative in hand once again. Kira stepped back.

"What's going to happen to me?" said Chakotay, and Kira's heart went out to him. He looked lonely and drained, and she patted his hand.

"Starfleet will probably call a routine hearing," she said. "But as there's concrete evidence that you didn't kill either of the men, and you came off worst, I don't think you have too much to worry about."

He nodded wordlessly as Bashir injected the sedative, and lifted a dermal regenerator.

"I'll fix up this hand of yours, Commander," he said. "Your other, more serious injuries took precedence earlier, but I'll sort this one –"

"No," said Chakotay, already feeling groggy. "Leave it, please."

"It's a five-minute job," said Bashir. "It'll be as good as new –"

"Just leave it, please, Doctor," said Chakotay wearily, his eyes closing. Kira released his hand and moved to the doorway.

"I'll be in touch again before you leave, Commander," she said.

"Thank you," slurred Chakotay, before he fell into a deep sleep.

 

* * *

 

He awoke again some time later, with no clue how long he'd been out. Eyes still closed, he shifted experimentally in the bed and noticed that the throbbing ache in his lower back seemed to have lessened – courtesy of his new kidney, he supposed.

He felt a small hand slide into his, another resting beside it on his wrist. He licked his dry lips and opened his eyes, half expecting to see Kira there.

The very last person he expected to see was Kathryn Janeway.

"Chakotay?" she said, and his eyes closed. Hearing her voice again was like a balm, and he tightened his fingers around hers reflexively.

"What are you doing here?" he said, immediately kicking himself. _Weeks and weeks since you've seen her, so much has happened, and the first thing you come out with is that._

"Starfleet Command contacted me after you disappeared," she said. "They thought I might know something about your plans. Once they informed me they'd found your shuttle, I headed here. I arrived while you were in surgery."

"I thought you were on assignment?" said Chakotay.

"I was," she said. "But Altair Six can do without me for the time being."

Chakotay couldn't help but feel pleased that she had headed out on a two-day journey to see him, even if she looked exhausted. He took the opportunity to just look at her for a few moments, drinking in the sight of her. She was still in her Admiral's uniform, slightly rumpled from the long travel, dark circles under her eyes.

"It's good to see you," he said, and was rewarded with a smile.

"You too," she said. "Though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Me too," said Chakotay. "Listen – Kathryn – I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going. " He rolled his eyes upwards to stare at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry I left at all," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for a lot of things."

"It's alright," she said quietly. "I'm sorry too. I just wish you'd spoken to me before you left. We – I – have been so worried about you."

He nodded, but still didn't look at her. "I wasn't sure you wanted to speak to me," he said. "You hadn't been in touch since debriefings."

Kathryn bit back a retort – he hadn't contacted her either – and shook her head. "How could you think that, Chakotay?" she said. "How could you think I wouldn't want to hear from you?"

"You hadn't spoken to me in a month," he said. "I know there was a lot going on with Voyager, Starfleet, your family – but, what happened? Did I do something?"

She stared down at their joined hands for a moment before she spoke.

"I wanted to give you space," she said. "I know how it is in a new relationship, you want time to yourself, especially after a huge change like we'd been through. I couldn't keep imposing myself on you – on the two of you."

"You wouldn't have been an imposition," he said insistently. "We both missed you." He could tell from her expression that she didn't believe him, and he clutched her fingers tighter, wincing slightly at the soreness in his battered hand. She noticed, and glanced down, running the fingers of her other hand lightly over the scrapes and bruises.

"What happened here?" she said.

"A run-in with a Cardassian's jaw," said Chakotay. Kathryn sighed softly and continued to run her fingers back and forth over the injured skin. Her touch was so light it didn't hurt him, and she was so gentle it was almost his undoing.

"Let's straighten one thing out," she said, the firmness of her tone contrary to her feather-light touch. "I honestly thought we understood each other, that you wouldn't go running off like this. I'm asking you, please, promise me you won't disappear like this again. Just talk to me – or if you can't, please just let me know where you're going, leave a message, anything." She looked half worried, half annoyed, and Chakotay smiled fondly at her.

"This isn't a joke, Chakotay," she said indignantly.

"I know, I know," he said, heaving himself up into a sitting position. She helped him settle before looking intently at him again.

"Well?" she said. "Promise?"

He nodded slowly. "On one condition," he said.

"What's that?"

"That you promise the same," he said. "I didn't get a chance to even speak to you before you left for Altair."

Her eyes narrowed. "Now, that isn't fair," she said. "I called you, but you were out. Seven said she'd let you know that I called and that I was leaving."

"She did," he said. "I wondered if that was why you hadn't been in touch since, actually."

"What?" said Kathryn. "The fact that Seven answered?"

The familiar frown line had appeared on her forehead and Chakotay swallowed. He was treading on very thin ice, he knew, but he had still hoped that Kathryn might have been jealous of Seven – even a tiny bit – because the alternative was that their friendship meant nothing to her, and he wasn't sure he could handle that.

"Yes," he admitted eventually.

"Did you think I was jealous?" she said incredulously.

"No! Well," he said, suddenly finding the bedcovers fascinating. "I hoped you might be. Either it was that and you were avoiding us, or –"

"Or what?" she said quietly.

"Or you didn't give a damn about us, or me, any more."

Kathryn regarded him sadly. He looked dejected, and she shifted to set on the edge of the bed, placing a finger under his chin to tilt his face towards her.

"We're definitely going to have to work on our communication skills," she said wryly. "I'll be honest – yes, I was jealous. Seven was doing something I could never do, which was start a relationship with a crewmember. Of course I was jealous."

Chakotay deflated slightly.

"But the fact that it was you … that was difficult. Especially after everything that happened with the Admiral –"

Chakotay frowned. "Seven mentioned something about her too," he said. "What exactly did she say?"

Kathryn was torn. On one hand, if she told him about him and Seven in the now-defunct timeline, he might be furious that she had destroyed his chance at true happiness – on the other hand, she couldn't lie to him. She sighed.

"She told me that in her timeline, you and Seven had married," she said. She watched Chakotay's eyebrows rise.

"Wow," he said. "I – I can't imagine that happening."

"Well, it did," said Kathryn, moving away to pour him some water. He felt a cool spot where her hip had been resting against his side and was disappointed when she settled back into her chair after handing him the cup.

"Well," he said, eager to build bridges, "that timeline doesn't exist any more. Things are working out differently here."

"Not so well, it appears," said Kathryn sadly. "I'm sorry, Chakotay. The Admiral was trying to do everything to ensure your happiness - yours and Seven's - and it seems like since our return everything's been going wrong."

"Don’t be sorry," said Chakotay. "Maybe things will be better in this timeline. Did you know Seven's in love with a young Doctor?"

Kathryn's eyes widened. "Really?"

Chakotay laughed. "Well, maybe not in love, not yet. But apparently it's pretty serious."

"Are you okay with that?" she said.

"I am," said Chakotay. "Maybe it's the way things are supposed to be. Maybe this whole mess with the Cardassians was meant to happen. At least you're here now."

She laughed. "You could have just called me. It would have been a lot easier on all of us."

Chakotay, didn't laugh, though, and lapsed into silence.

"I couldn't do it, Kathryn," he said eventually.

"Do what?" she said.

"Kill them. I got so close, both times, but I couldn't do it. Don’t get me wrong, I was furious with them, but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger."

She took his hand again. "You're not a killer, Chakotay."

He looked at her. "There are some things I would kill for," he said quietly.

She nodded. "I'm sure most people would say the same. But this wasn't your fight."

"I know," he said. "I just – needed to – " He closed his eyes, shook his head. "Hell," he said. "I don’t know why I went."

"I think I do," said Kathryn. "The same reason I went to Altair Six. We wanted something to give us purpose, to make us feel like part of something again."

Chakotay smiled. "See, we don't need to work on our communication," he said. "You understand me perfectly."

She smiled back and rose to perch on the edge of his bed again, and, emboldened, he rested his hand on her thigh. She immediately placed her hand over his and his smile became a fully-fledged grin.

"While I was out there," he said, "I thought about you often."

"I'm flattered, I think," she said amusedly. "Considering what you were doing. I thought about you too." She looked at him, raising a hand to rest over his still-bruised jaw. "I missed you terribly," she admitted.

"So did I," said Chakotay, leaning forward slightly. Being able to say so felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Missed you, I mean," he said, feeling for all the world like a teenager again. His period alone, with thoughts of murder and violence running constantly through his head, had brought home to him the knowledge that he needed this woman in his life. If she only wanted to be his friend then that would be enough. Their friendship had changed his life and sustained him for over seven years, and he was sure it would continue to bring happiness to his life until they were both old and grey.

But her admission of jealousy had made his head spin – surely it wasn't possible she had feelings for him that went beyond friendship? He'd known her for so long, surely he would know?

Maybe it was the horrible loneliness of his recent mission, maybe it was the drugs, but Chakotay realised that this was the moment. In respect of the command structure, and of her, he hadn't made a move in all the time he'd known and loved her, but those constraints were no longer there.

He had to phrase this exactly right, had to make her understand exactly how he felt and how much he wanted her, not just as his friend, but to share his life. He wanted to come home to her and tell her about his day and hear about hers, wanted to sleep curled around her, wanted to wake in the morning and have the first thing he see be her, all sleepy and tousled. He wanted to feel again the peace she brought to his soul. But how to tell her?

"I love you," he blurted out.

In all the years he had known her, despite everything they'd been through, he had never seen her look so shocked as she did now.

"What?" she said eventually. He bit back a laugh, and squeezed her thigh.

"I love you," he said again.

She was staring at him intently, now, as though waiting for him to say he was joking.

"Oh," she said eventually, her voice breathless. "I see."

"You see?" said Chakotay, frowning slightly. He hadn't exactly been expecting her to throw herself into his arms, but so far she hadn't even blinked.

"What do you think?" he said tentatively. "Kathryn, if you just want to be friends, that would be wonderful. Our friendship means the world to me, but – if there was still a chance, after all this time, that we-"

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as Kathryn had placed her hand on the back of his head and kissed him hard, pushing him back against the pillows. For a few seconds he couldn't even move he was so shocked, then he realised that _Kathryn was kissing him_ and, with a groan, he lifted his arms to close around her.

She pulled back suddenly at the sound.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, looking him up and down. "I forgot – your surgery. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No," he said. "No, I'm fine. Really." And he pulled her close again.

Kissing Kathryn sent fire rushing through his blood, and he clutched her close, as though trying to pull her inside himself. It felt, to him, like this was the focal point around which his life had revolved, as though everything had been leading up to this point. The mission, the loneliness, the violence, it all faded away, cleansed, until everything felt new. He would never be alone again.

She pulled back, and looked at him, his lips still pouted waiting for her kiss, his eyes closed. She laughed, and his eyes fluttered open.

"What?" he said happily, his hands rubbing up and down her back.

"Nothing," she said. "I just don't think we should get too carried away. You are recovering from major surgery, after all, and Dr Bashir will be coming in to check on you any moment. He's a nice man, but I don't want to give him that much of a show."

His eyes twinkled mischievously at the implication in her words, and, as if on cue, Bashir walked around the screen. He immediately spotted Kathryn still leaned over Chakotay, his arms around her.

"Oh!" he said, straightening. "Admiral. I didn't know you were still here!"

Kathryn, still smiling, managed to slide off the edge of the bed with remarkable grace.

"It's alright, Doctor, we were expecting you," she said, resting her hand gently on Chakotay's, who immediately grasped her fingers.

"I take it you're feeling better, Commander?" said Bashir, scanning Chakotay and noticing the megawatt grin that he didn't seem to be able to hide.

"Much better, Doctor, thank you," he said jovially. At this moment, Kira appeared from the other side of the screen.

"Admiral," she said. "Nice to see you again. Commander, how are you doing?"

"He's fine," said Bashir, snapping his tricorder shut. "He'll be sore for a little while, but everything's healing nicely. I'd like him to stay here tonight but I'm happy to release him tomorrow morning."

Kira nodded. "Starfleet Command have just been in touch," she said, addressing herself to Chakotay, who nodded. "They're not going to take you into custody, but you'll have to remain on Earth until after the hearing."

"That's fine," said Chakotay. "I wasn't planning on going anywhere else."

Kira nodded. "Well, I just thought I'd drop in, see how you were doing." She noticed the Commander's fingers entwined with the Admiral's. _That's unexpected_ , she thought, hiding a smirk.

"I'll leave you to it," she said. "If you're ever passing, keep in touch," she said, and Chakotay smiled.

"I will," he said. "Thank you, Commander."

She smiled as she left, and Chakotay raised a hand to rub at his temples. Despite the happiness coursing through him, his body wouldn't let him forget the abuse it had experienced, and his head was throbbing.

"Headache?" came Kathryn's deep voice from beside him.

"Mmm," he said.

"I'll get you something," said Bashir. "It's no surprise your head hurts, you had a broken cheekbone and a mild concussion when they found you." He disappeared to fetch a hypospray and Kathryn looked at Chakotay closely.

"Well, he did a good job," she said approvingly. "I'd never have known your cheekbone was broken." She kissed his cheek. "You look as good as new."

Chakotay grinned tiredly. He couldn't believe the change in her in so short a time. Where had this loving, affectionate woman been hiding for the last few years? He leaned his sore head back and let his eyes close. Her hand smoothed his hair.

"Go to sleep," she said. "Then tomorrow morning we can go home."

He nodded drowsily as he felt the cold of the hypospray against his neck.

"You too," he slurred. "Go get some sleep. You look exhausted."

He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and smiled as he felt her kiss his forehead.

"Alright," she said. "Sleep well." There was a pause. "Chakotay?"

"Mmm?" he said, close to sleep.

"I love you too," she said quietly, close to his ear. It was the last thing he heard before he drifted off to sleep, still smiling, her hand in his.

 

* * *

 

Chakotay awoke early the next day, his headache gone, and Bashir examined him one last time before declaring him officially fit to leave. He was perched on the edge of his bed when Kathryn appeared with her bag over her shoulder. The three of them spoke for a few more minutes before Bashir shook both their hands, they thanked him, and he left to attend to his other patients.

Kathryn dropped her bag and stepped between Chakotay's thighs, and he embraced her, delighted to be free to go. She pulled back slightly and pressed her mouth to his – feeling stronger and healthier after a decent night's sleep, he kissed her insistently, desire running through him when he felt the tip of her tongue against his lips. He opened his mouth to her eagerly, thrilling at the silkiness of her tongue against his, her taste, the small sounds she made in the back of her throat, the feel of her hands smoothing up and down his back. Finally they separated and she stepped back. Her lips were pink and full from their kisses, a crooked smile on her face, and he thought she had never looked more beautiful.

She lifted her bag again and took his hand.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get out of here."

They arrived back on Earth to find they had a welcoming committee, comprised of Tom, B'Elanna, Miral and, to their great surprise, Seven. While B'Elanna alternated between hugging and yelling at Chakotay, Kathryn took Seven aside. She felt guilty for not contacting her since their return, but had known that she would be alright with Chakotay. Now, it seemed Seven had a new man in her life, and Kathryn felt like she had been given the world. She smiled at the younger woman, surprised at how much she had missed her, and, on impulse, drew her into a hug. She was surprised at how strongly Seven hugged back.

"Admiral," she started but Kathryn raised a hand.

"Seven," she said. "I am no longer your commanding officer. Please, call me Kathryn."

Seven looked perturbed, and Kathryn was reminded of seeing old teachers again once she had left school.

"Very well – Kathryn," said Seven. "I'm pleased you're both well. I've - missed you."

Kathryn beamed. "I've missed you too, Seven," she said. "How are you?"

She couldn't help but feel distinctly maternal as Seven, almost shyly, told her about her new relationship with Josh.

"I'd like to meet this Josh," she said.

"I'm sure you will," said Seven. "We have been invited to the next crew social event. Will you be there?"

"Wouldn't miss it," said Kathryn, as Chakotay rejoined her. Seven noticed their twined fingers immediately, and arched an elegant eyebrow. Kathryn delicately pulled her hand out of Chakotay's and took a step forward.

"Seven," she said. "We have some news –"

To her great surprise, Seven smiled.

"There is no explanation necessary," she said. "I am pleased for you both. You both seem very happy."

"We are," said Kathryn.

"As am I," said Seven, her smile becoming wider, and they regarded her fondly.

"Well, I must return to Starfleet Headquarters," said Seven. "I have been invited to a performance by the San Francisco Philharmonic tonight."

"You wouldn't want to miss that!" said Kathryn, beaming. "Tell Josh we look forward to meeting him, and we'll see you soon."

"You know," said Chakotay thoughtfully as they watched her depart, "I'm starting to think Admiral Janeway knew what she was doing. I thought everything was ruined, but," he placed his hand on her waist. "Things seem to be turning out pretty well."

Kathryn smiled, and nodded her agreement just as Tom and B'Elanna came over, Miral asleep against Tom's shoulder.

"Did I hear you say you're coming to the next get-together?" He said.

"You did," said Kathryn. "I'll get to as many as I can in the future. I can't wait to catch up with everyone."

B'Elanna nodded, looking from one to the other with an unrestrained grin. "I'm glad you're both home," she said. "Would you like to join us for dinner later? This one'll be in bed early if you wanted to come round."

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged a quick look.

"Actually, B'Elanna," said Chakotay, "we have plans for this evening. But we'll definitely see you soon."

"You're not going to go running off again?" said B'Elanna slyly.

"No chance," said Chakotay, grinning.

"Alright," said B'Elanna. "Well, have fun, and see you at the party if we don't see you before."

They nodded, and waved their goodbyes as the three set off home, Miral squirming and waking as they headed away. They heard her lusty squalling start up just as Tom and B'Elanna reached the main doors.

"Oh dear," said Kathryn, laughing. "Right! Well – your place, or mine?"

"Well, I don't have any food in," said Chakotay. "So if we go to mine and we want dinner later we'll have to - "

"My place, then," said Kathryn, weaving her fingers through his and tugging him towards the exit.

 

* * *

 

Chakotay was experiencing total sensory overload. He felt like every inch of his skin was on fire. He had never loved anyone like this, or been loved like this; Kathryn's hands moved up and down his back as they moved together, stopping on the curve of his buttock to pull him to her. He hooked his hand under her thigh, just above the knee, and raised it, allowing him to push even deeper into her. Kathryn's eyelids fluttered shut, her head thrown back.

He increased the speed of his movements until she bucked and clenched around him. He had been holding himself back with some difficulty for a while now, and let himself go, shouting his joyous release.

He sagged, his face pressed into her shoulder. She relaxed, panting, her arm flung over her head, and once he was able to move he shifted aside to gaze down at her. He had been wrong before – _now_ she had never looked more beautiful. Unable to control himself, he raised his hand to touch her, his fingers resting on the side of her breast.

Although he'd only seen her naked for the first time a short while ago, he already knew he would never be able to get enough of her body. He had fallen in love with her soul, her spirit, but she was a beautiful woman and he felt honoured to be able to see her like this. So familiar, but so new. He was besotted with every part of her.

He stroked his fingers over the skin of her breast, lifting his hand to brush the back of his knuckles over her nipple before spreading his hand to cup the entire breast, marvelling at the yielding softness of the flesh in contrast to the firm peak of her nipple.

Kathryn watched him in amusement, smiling at the expression of happy fascination on his face. Her heart rate was slowing, now, a delicious torpor settling over her. She knew she must be flushed, sweaty, her hair in total disarray around her on the pillow, but she found she didn't care; on the contrary, it made her feel sexy and sated.

"Enjoying yourself?" she said eventually. He raised sleepy eyes to meet hers.

"Immensely," he said, stroking his fingers over her breast once more before rising up to kiss her. Still feeling heavy in her afterglow, she wound her fingers into his hair as they kissed lazily, before he broke the kiss and lowered his lips to close around her nipple. Kathryn chuckled, arching her back slightly at the sensation.

Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly. Chakotay, whose head was inches from it, grinned.

"Hungry?" he said, leaning up on one elbow.

"Yes, admitted Kathryn. "I didn't have time for lunch today, as you know."

"I'll cook us something," said Chakotay, leaning over to press an open mouthed kiss to her belly. "Pasta, maybe. With vegetables…"

He punctuated every word with another kiss. Kathryn moaned, and wondered how he could possibly make something as ordinary as pasta and vegetables sound so erotic – maybe it was the fact that his tongue was making trails over her stomach, dipping in and out of her belly button…

Her stomach growled again and the moment was broken; they both laughed.

"Okay," said Chakotay. "I can take a hint." With one last kiss to her soft belly he slid off the edge of the bed and crossed the room to pick up his trousers from the floor, Kathryn tilting her head to admire the view. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed in the last two days, but she wasn't about to question it. Sighing deeply, she sat up; it was now Chakotay's turn to admire the view as she stretched, running her fingers through her mussed hair.

"Go on," she said. "That pasta won't cook itself. I'll be right out."

He laughed, pulling his shirt over his head. "Yes, ma'am," he said, and headed to the kitchen.

Kathryn pottered around in the bathroom as she considered her future. Chakotay's hearing would be happening soon, but she was fairly certain it would be routine; he'd be rapped across the knuckles for not reporting the situation to Starfleet but that would probably be all. Then he'd be free to follow whatever line of work interested him. Maybe he'd finally get a chance to pursue his passion for Palaeontology, like he'd always wanted.

She smiled to herself, lifted her peach robe from the back of the chair, and padded out to the kitchen to join him.


End file.
